Happy Fall Y’all.
It’s such a beautiful time of year. We anticipate it. We can “smell Fall in the air.” Yet, somehow, there is a bit of sadness, an itching of stress. The holidays are on the horizon. Emotions are stirred up.
The Yang energy of summer gives way to the Yin energy of the fall and coming winter. We don’t always want to slow down.
Autumn is the time of the Metal element in Chinese medicine. Its meridians are the Lung and the Large Intestine. It takes in what it needs (warm spices, sweater weather, the beautiful colors, inhales) and let’s go of what it doesn’t need (exhales, sigh…..). Sometimes the letting go is hard, and there is overattachment, overprotection. Sometimes the taking in is too much, and there is overachievement. Sometimes we just surrender to the mess.
When in balance, the Lung leaves you observant, serene, clear, and focused. When out of balance, it leaves you armored, depressed, controlling. When in balance, the Large Intestine allows you to participate in the cycle of life, giving what is not usable back to the earth. You clear conflicts quickly, accomplish tasks, clear the clutter. When out of balance, you are stuck; full of, well, sh*t. You cannot make energy without breath and food. And they both need space.
Letting go of what no longer serves you and making room for what nourishes you creates space for, and connects you to, the sacred.
Ways to Nourish your Metal element:
-Foods like cauliflower, fennel, mustard and other bitter greens, mushrooms, root vegetables, tofu, pears
-Spices like cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, dill, garlic, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme
-Supplements like Live Pure’s GoYin that support the reduction of anxiety, the improvement of focus, and an enhanced sense of well-being
-Citrus and pine essential oils; eucalyptus, clary sage, frankincense. One of my favorite products is Annmarie Skin Care’s Palo Santo Hair & Body Mist
-Yoga poses like supported Fish and Happy Baby, both of which can be accessed without warming up the body
-Some wait for the new year to start new habits, but I love the drawing in of Fall for just that. The earlier darkness seems to turn attention to the family, to the dinner table, to togetherness. My new favorite book purchase is “Every Season Sacred” by Kayla Craig. In her prayerful words:
God, we breathe the crisp, fresh air
And ask You to guide us
In this ever-changing world….
O God of harvest moons…
Of leaf piles for jumping
And apple cider for sipping…
Be near.
Move us in empathy…
And clothe us in compassion
Like a warm and hand-me-down sweater
Pulled over shoulders
And passed down over the years….
Soothe our fears
And remind us that in every
Transitional moment
And time of change,
You are near.
May you welcome the grace to let go as peacefully as the trees, content for the waiting of the coming winter that leads you into transformation.
If you nodded “yes!” through this read, please share it with someone who could use a path through their falling leaves.
In Healing,
Megan
